Minimally invasive medical techniques are intended to reduce the amount of tissue that is damaged during medical procedures, thereby reducing patient recovery time, discomfort, and harmful side effects. Such minimally invasive techniques may be performed through natural orifices in a patient anatomy or through one or more surgical incisions. Clinicians may insert medical tools through these natural orifices or incisions to reach a target tissue location. Medical tools include instruments such as therapeutic instruments, diagnostic instruments, and surgical instruments. To reach the target tissue location, a minimally invasive medical tool may navigate natural or surgically created passageways in anatomical systems such as the lungs, the colon, the intestines, the kidneys, the heart, the circulatory system, or the like.
Minimally invasive medical procedures may rely upon visualization systems to find a target location and perform various operations. Particularly, a visualization system may help a minimally invasive medical instrument navigate natural or surgically created passageways in anatomical systems to reach the target tissue location. For example, the visualization system may help guide the minimally invasive medical instrument through natural passageways in the lungs, the colon, the intestines, the kidneys, the heart, the circulatory system, or the like. Some minimally invasive medical instruments may be teleoperated or otherwise computer-assisted.
During navigation of the medical instrument, or during an operation performed by the medical instrument, the lens of the visualization system may become obstructed or clouded by patient tissue or fluids. Such obstructions can make navigation or operation more difficult. Thus, it is desirable to clean the lens of the visualization system in a manner that is safe for the patient.